Second Chances
by AikouWolf
Summary: Young Shakura decides to end her own life after being mortally wounded. However, she wakes up to find that she has been given a second chance at life. A certain silver haired man must help her and redeem himself in the process. After Advent Children.
1. New Awakenings

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any ideas related to the game or the movie. However, I do own Shakura, Dustta, and any other characters that I may come up with. Please do not steal. Thank you very much.  
Oh, and before I forget.  
**Italics: These will appear when a character is dreaming, or in a dreamlike state._

CHAPTER 1- NEW AWAKENINGS

Friday started out just as any other day; the alarm clock woke me up at 5:00, I showered and got ready for school, caught the bus, and went through life just as any other teenage girl my age would do. When 3:00 rolled around, just like everybody else, I was happy that the day had finally ended; because I would now have three months to kick back and relax... or get a job. I hadn't decided which yet. As I boarded the bus and sat next to my little sister, I couldn't help but feel a little sad to know that I would be hidden away from society for three months. Brushing away these thoughts, I sat back and listened to Dustta talk about someone she had seen at school that day. We talked about many different subjects, Dustta's bright greyish-blue eyes flashing with excitement as we discussed our summer plans. We talked a lot about my favorite game, Final Fantasy VII and how unfair it was that Sephiroth had to grow up in a laboratory.

I had introduced her to the world of Gaia about two years ago, and she had fallen for Cloud Strife, the spiky-blonde haired mercenary. I had probably told her everything there was to tell about Gaia; everything that I knew, anyway. Final Fantasy was my passion, my entire life. I had to pass it to someone, and that someone was my sister. She had probably heard all my stories more than once, but I didn't care; I had to tell them again, to pass on the legacy. I guess I was selfish, but she had much to pass on to me, though, including her love of horses and drawing. Life was certainly different when I was around her; especially considering the situation at home. She fell silent, and I followed suit, and we both looked out the window. The screams and laughter of the many young kids on the bus were slightly annoying, but I didn't pay much attention, because my mind was busy comprehending what life would be like once I got home.

The past few months had been hard on us all; my parents had quit smoking, for the first time in thirty years, and their attitudes were not the best in the world. I had to be on guard constantly, not knowing whether or not to be happy or angry. One thing was for sure, however; I had totally changed. My attitude, my lifestyle, everything. I was more cautious, and more depressed than I had ever been in my life. I had picked up some bad habits along the way, and nobody seemed to understand me. My scars proved that. I blamed myself for what my parents said to each other. It felt good to be able to escape for even just a moment. The pain never lasted long, anyway...

"Are you even listening to me?" Dustta asked. "You have been staring off into space for the past ten minutes, and you've not said a word to me or anyone else. Are you okay?" I saw her bright grey eyes stare into my own green ones. She knew what happened when I felt like this. I didn't want to ever put her in that position again. Last time I had had a mental breakdown, it had been tough on us all. Tough, and a little funny...

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." I said. She raised an eyebrow at me. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. So, are you looking forward to next year? I understand you'll be a freshman, is that right? I'll have show to you around the high school and everything, won't I?"

Her eyes shone with light as she considered the fact that we would both be in high school next year. She stared at me for a long moment, considering the possibilities, then went back to staring out the window, the happy expression on her face reflecting on the glass. As I looked out the window, I noticed that the bus had made a wrong turn. We were heading in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to be going.

I turned towards Dustta, who looked at me in return. "Do you know where we're going?" I asked her, as she raised an eyebrow. As she looked out the window, her eyes grew in surprise.

"No, I can't say that I do. Maybe we picked up a new kid or something." She said. That was when I first noticed the man sitting in the seat behind our bus-driver. I hadn't noticed him when he first got on, because I had been so lost in thought. "Wait a minute." I told Dustta. "I'm going to go figure out who that man is." She nodded her head and watched as I made my way up to the front of the bus, nudging legs out of my way as I went. Mustering up the courage, I lightly tapped the man on the shoulder. He didn't respond, and neither did my bus-driver, who, I noted, looked slightly frightened.

"Sir... ," I began. I didn't even get a chance to open my mouth again, as I saw him pull a gun from the depths of his cloak, and jam it under my chin, forcing my head to tilt back. "Oh... In that case, I think I had better go back to my seat." I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"That... would be a wise idea." the man stated, in a cold, deep voice. He lowered the gun and gave me a harsh push, almost sending me to the ground. I walked quickly back to my seat, and caught a questioning look from Dustta. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"A man has taken us hostage." I whispered as quietly as I could. "He has a gun. I just found it under my chin, a moment ago." Her eyes grew even wider as she fully comprehended what I was getting at. "We have to say something!" she said, almost hysterically. At that moment, however, the bus came to an abrupt stop, but there weren't any houses around. Some of the older people in the back yelled in protest, but as they caught sight of the man with the gun in his hand, they fell silent.

"Everyone off. NOW!" said the man, as he brandished the gun wildly. We all obeyed. Once everyone was out of the bus, the man came to stand in front of us. I stood protectively before my sister. The sound of the man's voice snapped us out of our thoughts, though, as everyone pondered what exactly was going to happen to us.

"Now, when I call your name off this list, you will come, stand before me. You will empty your pockets, before I end your pitiful lives. There is to be no talking, and anybody who reaches for their cell phone will die a slow, and very humiliating death." he said. "Now, we shall proceed." he looked at the list in his long, thin fingers. "Johnathan! You first!" he yelled.

When nobody moved, he shot a couple of rounds into the air as a warning. Slowly, a little boy, who had to less than seven years old moved to stand before the man, his little legs trembling as he went. The man moved toward the boy, and ordered him to empty his pockets. When the boy didn't comply, the man backhanded him, and little Johnathan fell to the ground on his knees, tears staining his face. The man yanked him up roughly by his arms, and ordered the boy once more to empty his pockets. The boy dropped a cell phone to the ground, and the man smirked. He then turned the boy around, to face us, and placed the gun at the back of his head. There was a collective gasp as we all heard the bullet exit the gun and many people screamed as the young boy's body his the ground. The ground was stained with crimson.

"NEXT!" the man cried. He wiped the barrel of the gun on his pant leg, and cried, "Shakura, you're next!" Time seemed to slow down as I walked boldly up to the man, with a slight swagger in my step. I was ready for death; I had accepted that fact long ago. I came to stand before the man, and he looked me up and down. I already knew the routine, so I pulled everything out of the pockets of my jeans; my wallet with my driver's license, and a small amount of cash that I always carried around with me. He put his hands on my shoulders and roughly turned me around. I felt the barrel of his pistol tickle the back of my long red hair, and waited for the familiar noise of the gun going off. I heard him ease the hammer back, and suddenly, the gun was gone. I whirled around to see that Dustta had run toward us, and the look of determination on her face told me she wasn't going to let me die. I heard a very loud blast, and watched as she was flung back. Somehow, she picked herself up, and continued toward us. The man looked shocked as her fist collided with his face. He pulled the hammer back once more, before I found myself.

"You BASTARD!" I screamed, as I struggled with him. He backhanded me, and I felt something in my mouth come loose. I spat a tooth on the ground, and took advantage of his shocked state. I twisted my hands around the barrel of the gun, and I felt as though my chest had exploded. I barely registered the loud bang, or the fact that I was becoming weaker with every breath that I took. All I knew was that I had to stop this man. I was being selfish again. I wanted to become a hero.

I moved back, gasping in pain. His eyes grew wide in shock as I lifted the gun, with trembling arms, in his direction. I struggled to stand up, and as I cocked the hammer back once more, nobody moved or said anything. Time seemed to slow down as the bullet exited the chamber, and collided with his chest. He fell to the ground, and began trying to crawl towards me. I then proceeded to unload the whole gun on him, until he was nothing more than a bloody stain in the dust. I let the gun drop to the ground, as I just stood there, oblivious to my injury. All of a sudden, I heard a loud noise, as I looked up to see everybody screaming and running toward me.

I found that I couldn't hold on any longer, and I dropped to my knees in the dust. Nobody around me seemed to care about Dustta and I. Looking around myself, I watched her crawl over the body of the young boy, her hand on the wound in her chest. The red stain was slowly spreading over the front of her jacket as she painstakingly made her way toward me. I looked up to find Dustta's tear-filled eyes staring back into my own, and tried to give her a comforting smile. "Saved your life, now you owe me one..." I struggled to make the words out. She smiled a sad smile at me, but I could barely see it; my sight was beginning to fade. "Are... you... alright?" I gasped; my speech really starting to trouble me. "Yeah... I'm fine." I could hear the pain in her voice. But as I watched, I knew that she wasn't fine; neither of us were. I could hear people around me making phone calls but I didn't care; I wouldn't live long enough to make it to the hospital, anyway. I would make sure of that.

"Dustta, search in my... my bag, and find my... knife, would you?" I asked, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. She did so, before collapsing in the dust. Knowing that I had just lost nearly everything that had ever mattered to me, I took the knife from her still hands, and slashed my wrists, the excruciating pain making me wince. Slowly, my vision turned from red to black, as my blood poured out crimson upon the ground. I looked toward the sky, and felt gently raindrops on my face. My eyes closed, and the pain disappeared with the light of day. I knew no more.

--

_I seemed to be standing in an endless white room. There weren't any walls, and there really didn't seem to be any floor or ceiling, either. The light was so bright that I was nearly blinded. As I looked down upon myself, I saw that I was not wearing anything and my many scars were very visible against my pale skin. I tried to cover myself up, but found that I couldn't move my arms or legs. Suddenly, I felt a presence near me, and a young man appeared before me. I could feel a blush creep over my face as I struggled to cover my nakedness, but I still couldn't move. The young man looked deep into my dark green eyes, as I noted that his own eyes were a milky white. He was blind, but he still seemed to see me... how was this possible?_

_"We have decided to give you a second chance in life, if you accept." the young man said in a voice that belonged to an old man. Just listening to him speak made shivers travel up my spine. "However," he resumed. " your second chance at life will be dangerous and nowhere near how your old life used to be. If you accept the challenge, you may find yourself in many positions that you don't want to be in, but you must find the solution within yourself, and make the right decision. It's your choice. Make your decision. I must tell you that if you decline, you will go straight to hell for choosing to end your life." he warned._

_'Well, that wasn't much of a decision.' I thought to myself. "I choose to live a second life", I said. With a nod of his head, I found myself flying through an endless white tunnel, and then the blackness consumed me._

_--_

I didn't know where I was, or how I had gotten there. The first thing I had noticed upon waking up was the fact that I was face-down in the dust, my clothes covered in dirt. I tried to remember what had happened before I woke up here, but my mind was fuzzy. I couldn't remember a thing, and, as I thought, I didn't even know my own name. I struggled to get up, brushing off the dust as I did so. I felt very lightheaded and sore, although I didn't know why. The night was so dark that I could just barely make out what seemed like a large building up ahead. Not knowing what it was, I began walking toward it.

As I walked closer, I heard what seemed to be footsteps behind me. I turned around quickly, but there wasn't anything there. That's when I felt the body collide with my own, and I fell to the ground. I rolled over to see a very large, wolf-like monster coming in for the kill. I stood up and began to run as fast as I could, but there seemed to be more and more of the creatures with each step I took. Panicking, I didn't notice the rock in my path, and I tripped, falling beneath a sea of writhing bodies intent on ripping me apart. I was in a fight for my life.

--

_He was drifting along in something akin to a river, but he wasn't wet. He could hear so much going on at once; the voices of the dead communicating with each other. It was quite annoying. After all, he had to plot how he was going to get out of the Lifestream. "Mother... " he called out with his mind. Nobody answered him, however, and he repeated the mental shout over and over again. It was as though Jenova had been completely erased from his mind. Well, Kadaj and the other Remnants had used the last of the Jenova cells to recreate him the last time; maybe she was gone forever. But what would he do? How would he escape?_

_As if in answer to his question, he found himself in an endless room, the light so bright that it nearly blinded him. It was a very strange room, as it seemed to have no ceiling or floor or walls; it just went on forever. He tried to move, but couldn't, and to his horror, he found that he was completely naked. He struggled to move, but no matter how hard he fought, he still couldn't. Just then, a young girl appeared before him, and he noticed that her eyes signaled that she was blind. ' Perhaps she couldn't see him after all.' he thought to himself. At that moment, however, she spoke, and her voice was that of an old woman. His skin crawled at the thought._

_"We have decided to give you a second chance at life. Your goal will be to redeem yourself, and you will achieve that by helping someone let go of their past sins. If you are successful, you will be reborn, where you will live a normal life, however that you want to. If you do not succeed or you harm this person, you will be placed back in the Lifestream, where you will be forced to relive your own sins and the sins of the dead around you, for all eternity, as punishment for your evil deeds. The taint of Jenova has been cleared from your mind, so you should be the way you were, anyway. Make your decision now." the young girl explained, in her strange voice._

_Quickly, he thought to himself. If he went along with this, and helped this person, he would be able to live a relatively peaceful life, something he had always wanted. Jenova would no longer whisper those hateful lies to him anymore, and he could be at peace, for once in his life. "I accept." he said before he could change his mind._

_"Your wish is granted." the girl stated. With those final words, the ex-general found himself flying through a very bright tunnel, and then the blackness enveloped him._

_--_

_**Thanks so much for reading! This is my first story ever, so I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and give me some advice. If there's anything you would like to see happen, just tell me, and I'll give it some thought. Again, thank you!**_

Author's note: This is the third time I have changed this story, but NO MORE! Just leave me a review.


	2. Just Another Lab Experiment

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any ideas associated with the title. I am not here to make a profit; I am here to satisfy your curiosity, and hopefully, provide some entertainment for your dull lives. Please do not steal my ideas from me, and please review after you read. That is really all that I ask. Thank you in advance. Oh, and also, before I forget:**_

_Italics: Indicate a dream-like state._  
**_Bold/Italics: Indicate a character's thoughts._**  
**_Shadow creeper: One of those wolf-like creatures on Advent Children. If you still don't know what it looks like, type it into a Google Image search._**

CHAPTER 2- JUST ANOTHER LAB EXPERIMENT

He hit the ground, hard. Coughing on the dust, he stood up and brushed the dirt out of his long, silver hair and black cloak. There wasn't anything he couldn't stand more, than being dirty.

Looking about himself, he concluded that he had landed in the old Sector 7 slums, in Midgar. The sounds of a struggle reached his ears, and he began walking toward the sound of the disturbance. As he peeked around a corner, he saw a teenage girl attempting to fight off a pack of Shadow Creepers. She was losing. He couldn't decide what to do. _**This teenager could be the person that the young girl had been refering to, but she might not be.**_Without the whispers of Jenova, he found that he was quite lost. Quickly, he made his decision, and just as he was about to step out from behind the building, the fighting stopped. He looked around the corner again to find the girl, bleeding profusely, was lying on the ground. There were three people standing around her, each dressed in long, white lab coats. Two of them were holding Fire materia in the palms of their hands. They slipped the materia back into their pockets, as they looked around at the bodies.

"Hurry up and get it inside!" the third man yelled in a high, nasal voice. Sephiroth immediately recognized the owner of that voice. It was Professor Hojo, the bastard that had made his childhood a living hell, manipulating him and subjecting him to different kinds of experiments, all in the name of science. He remembered quite vividly the day that the damn scientist had cut one of his wings off, to study it. He hadn't even healed the boy, who was seven at the time. The pain had been tremendous. If that girl was going to become an experiment for Hojo, he knew that she wouldn't last long. He had to do something, or his redemption was about to end, and quickly.

He watched as the other two scientists dragged the girl by her long, red hair into the building. It was clear that she was unconscious. Hojo walked in the lead, clearing the way for them. As the door shut behind them, Sephiroth knew that the time had come to redeem himself. Making sure nobody was around him, he darted into the building.

--

The first thing I noticed upon waking up was that I was in a large glass tank. I seemed to be floating in some kind of liquid, but I didn't know how I was breathing in it. Luckily, I didn't seem to be drowning. I looked around the room through the clear glass. I seemed to be in a laboratory. In the middle of the room was an operating table, complete with surgical implements. I shook my head, trying to remember what had happened. All I could remember was the monsters that had ambushed me outside the building. I had tried to fight them off, but there was just too many of them. **_Since when were there monsters on Earth?!_** I asked myself. I raised my arms in front of my face, and sure enough, they were covered in cuts and bruises. Realizing something for the first time, I looked down at myself. I was completely naked, again. I could feel the rage building, my heart pumping faster and faster as I thought about it. I knew that I had to escape. I couldn't let anybody take advantage of me anymore.

I raised my fists and began beating as hard as I could against the glass. To my surprise, thin cracks began forming down the length of the tank. Quite suddenly, my fist broke through. The glass shattered, and showered the floor with tiny, sharp pieces. I felt very lightheaded as I breathed in the air in the lab. I stepped out of the tank, and slipped in the liquid that had poured out of the tank. As I felt myself falling, I tried to brace for impact, but it didn't help much. As I hit the ground, I felt all of the little pieces of glass become imbedded in my back and side. I was so lightheaded, however, that I didn't feel much pain.

While I choked on the sterile air of the lab, I tried to stand up, but only succeeded in falling back into the glass that littered the floor. I knew that I had to leave, but try as I might, I was too weak to stand up. At that moment, however, I heard hurried footsteps come into the room. It appeared that some assistants had witnessed my escape from the thin window that connected the two rooms. I felt something take hold of my arms, and lift me into the air. The hands roughly thrust me onto the operating table, and tied my hands and legs down. I could feel the glass become even more imbedded in my back as they tightened my bonds.

"Professor Hojo will be in momentarily to see you." one of the assistants informed me as they shut the door. Professor Hojo... That name seemed familiar to me, but I just couldn't remember where I had heard it. Soon, though, I once again heard footsteps, as Professor Hojo entered the room. A man with long, greasy black hair came to stand by my bedside. I remembered once more that I wasn't wearing anything, and as I watched him examine my body with with his eyes, a blush crept over my face. His eyes seemed to stare too long at places that they shouldn't have.

"Where... where am I?" I tried to say, my voice raspy. He didn't repy, however, and began writing something down on a clipboard he had in his hands. He began muttering to himself, loud enough for me to hear him, as he took notes.

"Specimen S. Height: 5 feet, 8 inches. Weight: 126 pounds. Name: Unknown. Gender: Female. Age: 16, according to blood tests. Found outside ShinRa building, seriously injured. Test A will tell whether or not Specimen S will be compatible with Jenova cells." he concluded. With that, he set the clipboard down and began preparing an I.V. Upon seeing the needle in his hands, my eyes grew wide. I really didn't like needles.

"You're not... going to put that thing in me... are you?" I struggled to say. He just ignored me again, and began cleaning the back of my hand with a piece of gauze soaked in rubbing alcohol. I tried to move my hand, but he grabbed it in a vice-like grip and inserted the needle into the back of my hand. I yelped as I felt it make its entrance. He then hooked a tube up to the needle, and I watched as the green liquid in the bag began its slow decent toward my vein. Before it reached my arm, though, I watched as he turned around and left me there, by myself in the room. He turned the light off, and locked the door. Having forgotten about the liquid in the bag, I gave a loud shriek as it made contact with my bloodstream, setting my very soul on fire.

I screamed and thrashed against my bonds, but they held. After a while, though, the pain seemed to decrease, but my body still throbbed. I felt my eyes begin to close, and I drifted off into sleep, as the Jenova cells integrated themselves into my own cells. --

--

Sephiroth ducked into a room, as two scientists walked past the door. I must be more careful. _**These people are not going to react well if they see me. I'm supposed to be dead.**_ he thought to himself. As he was about to set foot outside the door, he heard a loud scream of agony. It sounded feminine. _**I must hurry. It seems as though they have already begun experimenting on her.**_He turned, and quickly made his way up the long flight of stairs, his Jenova-enhanced body keeping him from getting tired. He heard more screaming and quickened his pace. Soon, he found himself standing outside the door to her room. He peered in the window to find that the room was pitch black. He unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Slowly, he made his way over to the table. He could just barely see her form lying there, asleep. Making sure there was nobody in the room, he clicked on the light and shifted his eyes toward her prone form. He quickly realized that she was naked, and as he searched in the closet for her clothes, she stirred. Having found a set of clothing that would fit her, he made his way back over to the table. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing dark green orbs beneath. A look of surprise crossed her face as he began taking the I.V. out of her hand. He took a knife out of his cloak, and began hacking at the bonds at her hands and feet. As he helped her off the table, he tried to keep his eyes averted from her naked body, but he couldn't help noticing the glass imbedded in her back and ribs._** Damn Hojo, that bastard. He didn't even bother to help her, even though she was injured.**_ he thought to himself.

"Here, I found you some clothes in the closet. Put them on; we leave soon." he told her as he reached her the set of clothes. She nodded her head, and began dressing herself as he set about gathering medical supplies. Once he saw that she was dressed, he walked toward her. Her mouth opened as she was about to question him, but he shook his head. "Not here. I'll explain once we have escaped. Can you run?" he asked her.

She nodded her head. "Good." he told her. "Now, let's go." He moved toward the door and opened it. He looked back to find that she was right behind him. Setting off down the hallway, Sephiroth was alarmed to hear many sets of footsteps coming in their direction. He made a signal to the girl, and both of them began to run. Sephiroth, being in the lead, saw the open doorway first, and pulled the girl inside. It appeared to be a meeting room, complete with the large, wooden table in the center of the room and a large plate glass window that gave a magnificent view of the city. He motioned for her to come stand by his side before the window, just as the door opened. Looks of horror passed over the faces of the guards and the SOLDIERS who had gathered to stop him.

I looked toward the man who had tried to rescue me. I knew it was the end. We were cornered, and the only way out was through the glass, but the building was over sixty floors high. We would never survive a fall like that. As I looked between the tall, silver-haired man, and the group of people, who seemed to belong to part of the military, I couldn't help but feel confused at the look of horror that had crossed their faces. Time seemed to slow down, though, as I watched one of the men pull a pistol from its holster and point it at the silver-haired man. As he pulled the trigger, I couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu, though for what reason, I couldn't tell, as I pushed the tall man out of the way. As the bullet made its entrance, time seemed to speed up again, and suddenly, I was falling. The last thought I had before the pain rendered me unconcious was that it was strange that I saw a stream of black feathers behind me as I fell.

--  
_**Well, I managed to pump out another chapter today. I hope you enjoyed it! There is more on the way, so just hold on! And please review; I'm dying to find out whether or not my writing is alright or not! Thank you very much!**__**Author's note-Again, I am changing the storyline a little, so if it seems different than the first time you read it, it is. Please leave me a review, and tell me what you think about it!**_


	3. Gunshots, Memories, and the Black Clo

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII in any way, nor do I own Sephiroth, Jenova, or any other ideas pertaining to the game or movie. However, I do claim rights to Shakura, Dustta, and any other fictual characters I may take into my head to create. Well, enough drathering on, I've a story to tell!**_

_**Italics: Indicate a dream-like state.  
Bold/Italics: Indicate a character's thoughts.  
Just Bold: Jenova**_

_**And to Shelby Harty: Cookies and a hug from Sephiroth for you! Thank you so much for your review. I was somewhat molified that out of the 61 people who've read my story, only one chose to give me a review. So thank you again!**_

CHAPTER 3- GUNSHOTS, MEMORIES, AND THE BLACK CLOAKED MAN

The girl looked very pale, no doubt from the loss of blood. If she died, his entire mission would be over, so it was very simple; he couldn't let her die. At the last moment, after she had pushed him out of the way, he had grabbed her and flung himself out the window, his single coal-black wing unfurled as they flew close to the ground, far away from the ShinRa building. It alarmed him that she had lost so much blood; the wound to her abdomen looked severe, but in his haste, he had forgotten to heal it. _**I guess Hojo and I are more alike than I could have imagined.**_ he thought ruefully to himself. As his feet touched down, he set her on the ground, gently, and pulled the mastered Restore materia from the depths of his cloak. He gently pulled the end of the bloodied shirt up to expose the wound, and was astonished at the amount of damage he saw there. Cursing himself once more for his ignorance, he pressed the Restore materia to the wound, closed his eyes, summoned as much strength as he could muster... and cast the most powerful Cure spell he had ever produced.

The flesh began to knit itself together and the internal organs began repairing themselves, but her breathing was still so shallow, so fragile. The skin on her face stretched tight at the pain she was experiencing. He knew that he had to find shelter soon; that Cure spell had weakened him more than he thought, and she needed sleep. He gathered her back up in his arms again, and took to the skies.

She was still not awake. It was far past noon, and still she slept a dreamless, pain-filled sleep. He had found an abandoned house far away from Midgar. In fact, he believed that they were in Gongaga, but he wasn't sure. He had flown all night, and when he became too tired, he had touched down in the nearest village he could see. He had then darted into the first abandoned house he had seen.

Her injuries were so numerous, and once again, Sephiroth found himself making a mental note to kill that damn scientist the next time they met, for subjecting such a young girl... no, everybody... to his horrific experiments. He would take "all in the name of science" and strangle Hojo with it. Either way, he would get his revenge, one of these days. Concentrating on the task at hand, however, he realized with mild horror, that his ultra-powerful Cure spell had also healed her back, trapping the glass inside. He had been forced to take a scalpel and a pair of forceps to cut each piece of glass from her body, but in the end he had removed every one of them, and healed her again, though the scars would remain with her for the rest of her life.

Over the next two and a half days, he kept watch by her bedside, becoming slightly more alarmed that she had still not woken up yet, with each passing minute that went by. He realized a second too late that he was very exhausted, and his eyes closed, plunging him into the land of dreams.

--

_He found himself standing once more in that blinding white room, naked. He waited for the young girl with the strange voice to appear, but this time, not one, but two people appeared. Both appeared to be blind. One was the young female from before, and the other was a young man. When they spoke, they spoke together, sending shivers traveling up his spine._

_"How is she?" they asked in unison. Sephiroth was not surprised to hear that the young man had the same, strange voice. "She is not well; she still sleeps, for the third day in a row. She has suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, in an attempt to... " he let the sentence end there, realizing for the first time exactly why she had suffered a gunshot wound. He recalled the image in his mind. There had been seemingly no escape. A young SOLDIER had pulled a gun from its holster and pointed it at him. As the young man pulled the trigger, he was about to laugh when something collided with him, pushing him aside. It was her; she had rushed to save him and took the bullet herself. Didn't she know that he was Sephiroth, that he could have plucked that bullet from the air, and send it speeding back toward its owner all too easily? But he felt strange and unsettled about the thought of somebody risking their life for him. He wasn't the most popular man on the Planet, maybe the strongest, and the most cunning, but not the most popular._

_Sensing his thoughts, the two young people spoke once more. "You cannot allow her to die. If you do, it will mean that both of you will be punished for all eternity, for she was given a choice, too, much like you were. If she dies, it will not be the first time, and it will mean that both of you have failed. Do you understand?"_

_Slowly, he nodded his head. He kind of understood what they were saying. "Good." they said. "Now, awaken and tend to her." He felt slightly lightheaded as he felt his mind struggled to do just that._

--

He woke up to find two deep green eyes staring at him from the darkness of the room, in the direction of the bed. The eyes closed for a moment, before opening once more. Slowly, not wishing to alarm her further, he stood and flicked the light switch on. Her eyes narrowed as they struggled to become accustomed to the bright light. "Good morning" he said in what he hoped was a non-menacing sounding voice. "Did you sleep well?" A smirk crept over his face, unintentionally, which she misinterpreted.

She looked frightened as she nodded her head. It seemed as though she hadn't gotten her voice back yet. Come to think of it, he hadn't ever heard her voice, nor did he know her name. Knowing that if she did attempt to speak, her voice would be raspy, he slowly rose from the chair he had been sitting in and walked in the kitchen, his leather boots making loud thumping noises on the tile. He opened a cupboard, and retrieved a glass from within. Rinsing the glass out, he filled it with cool water from the sink and walked back into the living room. She had moved off the bed, and was attempting to stretch her tight muscles, after being bed-ridden for three days. She seemingly did not notice him, and he watched as she knitted her hands together and bent as low as she could, fingers almost reaching her toes. Moving very slowly, she then moved her arms back up into the air, her fingers nearly reaching the ceiling, standing on the tips of her toes. Suddenly, she moved nearly faster than he could see, her hands clutching her stomach in pain. Obviously, her wound still hurt, and badly.

He was there, standing by her side in the blink of an eye. His hands on her shoulders as he guided her back onto the bed, startling her, as she had not known he was there. Having momentarily forgotten the glass of water in his hand, he offered it to her, and she took a long drink, totally downing the whole glass. He got up and refilled it again. This time she took her time drinking it, and she finally spoke.

"Thank you." she said. It sounded as though she were testing each word carefully before she spoke. "I really appreciate all that you've done for me. I hope you don't mind me asking, but as I do not know, I would like to know your name, and also, how I came to be here."

Eyes widening slightly at hearing the sound of her voice for the first time, he replied. "My name is Sephiroth. You were shot in the abdomen by a member of SOLDIER before we escaped from the ShinRa building." He could see her thinking it over in her mind, the last moments before she was rendered unconcious. Her lips moved, but no sound came out, a quizzical look in her eye.

Finally she spoke again, testing the word in her mouth. "Sephiroth... " she said. "That name seems slightly familiar to me... " at this he tensed visibly, as it seemed she recognized him as the man who had tried to end the lives of everybody on the Planet, a couple of years ago. She continued, "but I just can't tell where I heard it from. And you say I was shot... but how am I healed? Wait, I haven't been sleeping for weeks or something like that, have I?" she looked alarmed at the prospect.

"No, it's only been three days. And I healed you with materia; what else would I use? You were quite injured; it looked like a hand grenade went off inside... " he stopped at seeing her face become slightly green.

She quickly recovered, though, and proceeded to ask him the strangest questions he had ever heard. She didn't know what materia was, and after a somewhat lengthy explanation about the different combinations of materia, which, strangely, she picked up on fairly quickly, she asked about ShinRa; apparently she didn't know about that either. Somewhat incredulous, he explained about the power company, and SOLDIER. At times, she seemed lost in thought, but he knew that she was soaking in the information better than any SOLDIER cadet that he had ever taught. It bothered him slightly, though, that she didn't seem to know about anything. He paused a moment, to rest his voice. He had, after all, been talking all morning and she had listened to every word that he had to say. It was strange...

He looked up abruptly as she gave a sharp gasp, clutching her stomach in pain. He quickly stood, reaching into his pocket for his Restore materia, but she held up her hand, as if to tell him to keep back. "I'm alright." she gasped. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just let it pass." she looked up at him, and for a brief moment, instead of having round pupils, it looked as though they were slits, almost feline... Like his own... He thought to himself in alarm. He tried to keep his face normal, so as not to alarm her, and when he looked back into her eyes again, they were normal once more. It must have just been a trick of the light. **_Even so... I must keep an eye on her. Surely... surely it's not happening again?_**

She appeared to have recovered, and as she sat back up on the bed, he held out his Restore materia once more. It seemed as though she was afraid of it though, and only after some coaxing, she allowed him to use it on her. She gave a sigh of relief, though, when she felt the pain leave her body. He could tell it in her expression; one moment, it had been clenched in pain, her delicate eyebrows knitted together as she tried to conceal the excrutiating pain from him, liquid welling up in her dark green eyes, and the next moment, she seemed to be totally relaxed, all anguish gone from her face.

--  
She leapt into the air, the faces of the crowd beneath her wide in shock, their mouths open as wings erupted from Dustta's shoulder blades. As the black eagle grew closer and closer, she hung back, not wanting to intrude; only out of curiousity had she taken to the sky to inspect this strange phenoma. With every wingbeat, she could see that the 'black eagle' was in fact a man, who was holding the lifeless body of a woman in his arms. The fact that he had only one wing perturbed her greatly, but she let it pass. It seemed as though no end of strange things happened in this world. Dustta felt something hit her forehead, and reached up to wipe it off, only to find that the crimson substance was blood. Looking up from her hands, she watched as more blood flew toward her. Disgusted, she gained altitude, her fox colored wings growing more tired with each beat they took.

It seemed like hours before the strange one-winged man touched ground. He had landed in a small village, maybe to escape prying eyes. She watched as he ran, hunched over, through the town, seeminly looking for an empty building to spend the night in. Having found one, he rattled the doorknob to find it unlocked, then proceeded to enter the small building. Following suit, she dropped, and decided to question this man, who she seemed drawn to so much. Maybe this is what I was put here to do. Maybe this man has something to do with the person I'm supposed to be protecting. With that, she knelt down in the dust, and the only thing that anybody saw that night was a face-less, fourlegged, black shadow, that darted between the buidings and waited motionless on the doorstep of a long-forgotten home.

--

Whatever was in that glowing green orb was amazing, simply amazing. I didn't know how to react; the pain had been so intense one moment, then it had simply vanished in a burst of green light. However, I knew that it would return, and soon. It wasn't just the gunshot wound that was plaguing me; I felt as if there was something inside me, someone, rather, that was fighting to get out. I had seen it in my dreams, too. It was quite frightening, actually. It seemed to be trapped in a tank, much like the one that I had broken out of back in the ShinRa building. There were tubes coming out of it's body, and it looked like it was female. In my dreams, it kept staring at me and I would hear a voice whispering things to me, but the creature's mouth did not move. I couldn't really understand what it was saying, but there seemed to be one thing that I could understand, that it kept repeating to me. It said that if I listened to it, just gave it an ear for a while, that it would give me back everything that I had lost. But what had I lost? I certainly couldn't think of anything that I had lost, except my memory, and maybe, my mind. I wasn't too sure about the latter, yet, but I knew that I had lost my memory.

Just then, a voice whispered in my ear, and I looked around in alarm. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at me. And then I remembered something! My name was... Shakura! **"See. I told you that I would give you back everything that you had lost. If you do as I say, you'll get more than just your name."** the voice whispered to me from the depths of my mind. I tried to push it away, fearing for my sanity, but it just kept coming back. Finally though, it seemed to give up, and I was left in relative peace.

The girl seemed to be deep in thought, as if she were conversing with something or someone in her mind. I would be lying if I said that the prospect of Jenova controlling someone else doesn't have me worried. I'm still trying to recover from the last time she took over. Remembering something, a look of worry crossed his face. When I cut her from her bonds back in the lab, Hojo was busy pumping something into her. **_Could it have been... Jenova cells? What if her body accepted the Jenova cells?_** He thought in alarm.

Her voice made him jump. "Are you all right, Sephiroth?" she asked. "I finally remembered something. My name is Shakura. Ever since I woke up outside the ShinRa building, I haven't been able to remember anything, but my name finally came to me." she had a smile on her face. Smiling back at her, he suddenly remembered that neither one of them had had anything to eat in the last three days, he told her that he'd be back, and left her in the house.

--

Dustta had decided to wait for the man, not barging into the house as she had wanted to do in the first place. It had taken all of her will to stop the wolf's instincts from taking over, and controlling her mind. Finally, she had just curled up in a ball on the old rug that adorned the step, and as the first scent of the man reached her nose, she stood erect, waiting for the man. She heard the door slowly creak open, then hid in the shadows of the house as he stepped outside.

--  
**_Well, there's another chapter out for you. This one took me about seven hours to write, so REVIEW! If you review, Sephiroth will give you a hug! Though, if you don't review, I'll send him after you with Masamune and his mastered Bahamut materia, and you will have a problem on your hands. So, REVIEW!_**


	4. When Sanity Leaves

**_Disclaimer: If I have to write this one more time, I will go insane! I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any ideas pertaining to the movie or the game. Please do not steal my ideas, as I will send Sephiroth after you if you do. Well, again, I've a story to tell, and the day is only getting later._**

_Italics: Dreamlike state._  
_**Bold/Italics: Character's thoughts**_.  
**Bold: Jenova.**

**_And also, I want to give thanks to the following people:  
_John**: **_Thank you for the review! I really appriciate the fact that you are enjoying my story! Cookies for you!_**  
**TOWTWUKER:** **_Yuffie gives her thanks and sends her love for giving me a review! I can understand you not wanting to be hugged by Sephiroth. Well, keep reading, there's more to come._**

CHAPTER 4- WHEN SANITY LEAVES

He had been gone for hours, though I don't know where he could have gone, or why he would have left me in this new world all by myself. I decided to get up, and out of that wretched bed. I felt horrible for having slept for three days on end, but Sephiroth had not seemed to mind. Looking down at myself, I realized that I had also slept in the same clothes for three days straight; and they were disgusting; covered in blood and dirt. Looking around the house, I found a pair of clothes that looked as though they would fit me. Gathering them in my hands, I walked to the bathroom. I turned the hot water on and watched as the tub began to fill. I opened drawers and the medicine cabinet, and found what I was looking for; shampoo and conditioner, and most importantly... soap. I placed them on the edge of the tub, and began to undress, wincing as my bloodied and torn shirt scraped over the recent wound. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. Sephiroth was right. It did look as though a hand grenade had went off inside... I felt myself become slightly sick to my stomach, and tried to will the image out of my mind. Unconsciously, my hand traced the scar on my abdomen. It was so large! I couldn't believe the amount of damage that had been caused by that gun.

I got another surprise when I turned around, though. My back looked like a jig-saw puzzle that someone had scattered on the floor. I remember vaguely falling in the pile of glass, but I didn't know that it had cause this much damage._** I guess that song is right about me; I really am made of scars. Wait, where did that thought come from?**_I asked myself, but I just couldn't remember. Sighing, I eased the rest of my clothes from my tired body, and stepped into the bath tub. Pain was what I experienced first, as the hot water and soap got in the cuts that made up my skin. I tried to ignore the pain, though, and as I stepped out of the bath thirty minutes later, I felt very relieved. I dried myself off, the cold air making goosebumps erupt all over my skin. I then slipped into the clothing, reveling in the clean feeling of the cloth against my skin. I left the bathroom feeling like a new person. Slightly bored now, I inspected the abandoned house. There was nothing out of the ordinary, so I decided to sit and wait for Sephiroth to return. After another hour, however, my patience was nearly spent, so I left the house to go for a short walk and explore the town. Maybe, if I was lucky, I would run into Sephiroth on the way.

I took my time looking in the windows of the shops, but I had no money, and besides, nothing had really caught my eye. I was on my way back to the house when I heard it. I could actually feel somebody behind me, and when I stopped walking, so did they. I quickened my pace, only to find that they did, as well. I panicked and began to run, not knowing where I was going. Unfortunetly for me, I didn't noticed that I had ran into a dead end alleyway. Thoughts of the ShinRa building passed through my mind, but this time, there wasn't a gun involved. The man crept closer and closer to me, looking me up and down, and sniffing the air once in a while. As he drew closer, he smirked, revealing blackened teeth.

"Well, well. What DO we have here?" he asked, his rancid breath almost making me faint. He stretched a hand out toward me and I slapped it back as hard as I could. He only chuckled and said "looks like we have a feisty one here. Well, if you want to play rough, then that's how we'll play." Soon, the smile was gone from his face, and he was on top of me, while I struggled. I tried so hard to move, but he had my legs pinned with his knees and I couldn't move my arms, either. I was trapped... Knowing that my situation was hopeless, I lay still; it was as if something in my brain just clicked, and told me that if I did what he wanted, he would just get it over with soon. "That's a good little dirt-bag. Just lie still, you good-for nothing..." I didn't hear the rest of that sentence, though as he slapped me across the face, hard, and proceeded to rip my clothes off. Suddenly, I heard that same voice come alive in my head.

**Why are you just lying there, letting him do what he wants to you?! Do something!** the voice screamed.**_ I can't do anything. He's too strong._** I told the voice. **Why don't you try?** the voice asked. **Kill him if you must, but you must do something. I can't just stay here and see my daughter be hurt. If you don't kill him, I will!** the voice sounded livid with fury.

--

He was just returning back to the house when he heard a disturbance. He began to run, nearly forgetting the items that he held in his arms. There was a dark alleyway up ahead. He crept closer to it, and dropped the items on the ground. Just as he was about to burst around the corner, though, he saw a brilliant flash of green light, and a terrible scream. The body of a middle-age man flew past him, and into the street. He looked back into the alleyway in time to see the girl he had been taking care of standing, hunched over. He found himself walking closer to her and was surprised when she held up her hand, telling him to back away.

"Are you alright?" he asked her tentatively. She was shaking visibly, and her clothes were torn. Her hair was hanging in front of her face, and as she looked up at him, he saw that her eyes weren't right. They had been reduced to slits. She didn't seem to be in control of her body. _**It... really is happening again.**_His thoughts were interrupted, though, as he watched her cross her arms over her chest. He could feel the power leaking off of her; could feel it in the air.

Again, he asked, "Are you okay? I can help you, if you'll let me." There was no answer, however, and as he waited, finally a growl issued from her mouth, startling him. **"Stay AWAY!"** the voice sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. **"You have failed me once, SON, and I'm not going to let you get in the way EVER again."** Then he had it. It was _Jenova _speaking to him, and she was going to use this girl to fulfill her plans. Again, his thoughts were interrupted. Shakura gave an earth-shattering shriek as she flung her arms apart. She howled in pain and agony as two long white wings burst from her shoulders in a spray of blood. As they caused her pain, she ripped at them, only causing her more pain. Foot long white feathers flew as she tried to tear them off, and he found himself powerless to help her. Eventually, the pain overwhelmed her, and she collapsed in a heap of feathers, blood, and tattered clothing in the dirt.

--

I couldn't understand it. The rage poured through my mind faster than a raging river. I watched in horror as my own hands lifted by them selves. The creature inside me was controlling me, and I watched, powerless, as my own fingers wrapped around the man's throat. I felt my fingers squeeze as hard as they could, and the man went limp in my hands. How, I picked that man up, I really have no idea, but I found myself flinging him as far as I could away from myself. It seemed as though my hearing was also better, because I could hear his body make a sickening crunch as it made contact with the road. Then I saw him. Sephiroth was making his way toward me, and for some reason, all I wanted to do was kill him.

He drew closer and closer, and my rage grew with every step he took. I could hear him saying something, but I couldn't understand what he was saying, because the creature within me drowned out everything else. I had never felt so powerful. The voice told me to kill him, because that man had been the cause of so much suffering. But I argued back with it, telling it how Sephiroth had helped me; saved my life. As if in punishment, I felt my back explode, and red swirls clouded my vision. Something burst from my body, and I experienced pain worse than anything I could have ever imagined. Both of my shoulders were on fire, and when I looked behind me, I saw that I had grown wings. I had always wanted wings, but these were given to me as a punishment; they were the cause of my pain. I wanted them off. I ripped at them, the silky white feathers turning scarlet as the blood sprayed over them.

Time seemed meaningless, as the pain became more and more intense. I knew that he was still standing there, watching me, as this horrible transformation took place. I found myself blaming him for the pain; he was the cause of it all. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I couldn't distinguish between my own inner voice and the voice of that creature. I didn't know what was going on, and as exhaustion swept through my body, the rage melted away in a swirl of white feathers.

--  
**_Well, another chapter bites the dust! I know that this chapter is slightly shorter than my other ones, but this seemed like a good stopping point for now. I must ask you however, out of the kindness of your hearts, to PLEASE REVIEW. I have spent a lot of time writing this fic, and it is my first one that I have ever written, so please review. Thank you so much!_**


	5. When Angels and Serpents Dance

**_Disclaimer: I find myself once more saying this. says in monotonous, robotic voice I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth, or any ideas that belong to Square Enix. Please read and review._**

--

CHAPTER 4- WHEN ANGELS AND SERPENTS DANCE

He had carried her home, white wings dragging the ground, much to the discomfort of the townspeople. Once inside the house, he had carried her into the bathroom and proceeded to wash the dirt and blood from her body. It wasn't as though he hadn't ever seen her naked before, but this time was different; this time there were two ten-foot long wings to deal with, too. He was still in shock at the transformation that had taken place with Shakura. _**It must be the Jenova cells. Her body must have accepted them far better than any of the SOLDIERs that Hojo had experimented on. And that look in her eye... like she blamed me for her pain. It's just too much to think about.**_ Kneeling by the edge of the bathtub, he stretched her right wing out to its fullest length. It was beautiful, to say the least, once the blood was washed away. But he also knew that it was unwanted. It looked very much like his own, with the exception that hers was as white as ivory, and his was as black as ebony.

When at last all of the blood had been washed from her slim figure, he decided that it would be too hard to try to dress her when her wings were unfurled, so he laid her on the bed as she was and covered her in a thick blanket. Knowing that it was a cruel thing to do, he also bound her wrists to the headboard, and her ankles to the foot-board. If she woke up and still had that wild gleam in her eyes like out in the street, he wanted her to be safe from herself. He was frightened, too, because there was no doubt in his mind that she was just as strong as him, if not stronger. He did not want to find himself fighting this poor girl, who didn't have a clue as to what was going on, and who was also not even in full control of her body.

Remembering that he had dropped the things he had bought on the ground outside the alley-way, he rushed out of the house, and returned a short time later with the merchandise. Setting the bags and boxes on the kitchen table, he began unpacking them, pulling out cans of food and articles of clothing that he had bought for Shakura. _**She obviously needs a lot of clothes, as she seems to go through them fairly quickly. She also can't seem to stay in them, either!**_He smirked a little as he pondered this fact. Finally, he unpacked the things he knew that she would need, since she didn't seem to have any of her own. He had bought her a set of standard materia; Ice, Fire, Thunder, Restore, and Heal. Finally, he brought out the thing that had taken him so long to decide upon; a weapon for the girl. He wanted something that was perfect for her; something that she could wield easily and with grace, and after looking at guns, daggers, spears, and shruikens, he had finally decided upon a beautiful, crimson-bladed sword. It was about five and a half feet in length, the thin, wickedly sharp blade curving slightly, with emeralds set into the hilt. Silver wire was wrapped around the glittering stones, holding them in place, and the stones themselves looked like liquid green fire. A long white silken ribbon was wrapped around and around the handle, the ends of which hung down freely, underneath the pommel. The names "Tiger Lily" and "Shakura" had been etched into the blade in fragile script, at Sephiroth's request. The blade was beautiful, and he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't find it against his throat one of these days.

Slipping it into its wine-red leather sheath, which was also wrapped in silver wire, he set the weapon aside and brought a chair from the kitchen table to the bedroom. Sighing, he eased himself into the chair, and cast his eyes upon the sleeping girl. As he thought about her, he realized that he had never met anyone like her. There was still so much he didn't know about her, and she didn't seem to know much about herself, with the exception of her name. She claimed that she didn't know anything about materia or ShinRa, or anything that was common knowledge to the citizens of Gaia. He remembered that he had died, and had been brought back to life by the Cetra. Maybe she had been too. He recalled something that the Cetra had told him last time._** "If she dies, it will not be the first time, and it will mean that both of you have failed."**_ He had not paid much attention at the time, but it seemed as though she really had died before. But while he had retained all of his memories, she had not. It was strange...

Training his gaze back on her lifeless body, he decided that the only thing that he could do was try to keep her safe, and try to keep Jenova from completely gaining control of her mind. And even that seems to be a hard task; she keeps getting into trouble. It worried him that she had been mostly unconscious all of the time that he had known her. _**And I thought she would be safe staying by herself in this house for a couple hours. Shows how wrong I was...**_he mused. Just then, Shakura gave a sleepy moan, and tried to roll over onto her side, but her bonds prevented that. She struggled in her sleep, and suddenly, her eyes shot open, blazing green in the near darkness. She looked wildly about the room, and seeing Sephiroth by her side, her eyes softened noticeably. He was glad to see that she was back to normal.

"What... happened?" she asked cautiously. She struggled once more against her bonds, but gave up when they didn't budge. She looked at Sephiroth for an explanation.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure what mood you would be in when you woke up, so I decided to make sure you wouldn't hurt yourself. You kind of had me scared back in that alley-way, and that's saying something, from me." he smirked apologetically. "Here, let me help you." he said as he stood and untied the rope that had bound her to the bed. She rubbed her wrists and he saw that the skin had become raw and agitated during the hours that she had been sleeping. He caught her wrist in his hand and lightly brushed his fingers across the torn skin. She shivered at his icy touch, and watched as he pulled his mastered Restore materia from the depths of his cloak and pressed it to her wrist. In an instant, the raw marks were gone. He allowed her wrist to drop, aware of the crimson blush that had crept over her face. She broke his intense gaze and looked about the room once more. She stood and stretched, still seemingly unaware of the two wings that were hanging from her shoulders.

--

Quite suddenly, however, she gave a deep gasp as she discovered what it was that had been causing the unfamiliar weight. She looked at him for an explanation as she ran her fingers down the length of the white plumage.

"You can control them, you know." he told her. "Try, but be careful, because those wings are extremely powerful. We wouldn't want you to break anything in the house, now would we?" he had a mischievous grin on his face now.

I was astonished. Humans weren't supposed to have wings! Slowly, I did as he suggested, and tried to move them by myself. Amazingly, they did move, and they were indeed powerful. As a thought came to my mind, I panicked, realizing that I wouldn't be able to go anywhere ever again. How could I hide them? I posed the question out loud to Sephiroth.

"You just need to draw them closer to your back, and they'll become hidden." he stood, and walked closer to me. I shivered as his icy cold fingers touched my feathers._** Was it my imagination, or did he just trail his fingers down my back on purpose?**_ I shivered once more as his fingers made contact with my bare flesh. I felt him bring my right wing closer to my body, and then do the same with my left wing. Somehow, they seemed to disappear when they were close enough to my back.

Again he spoke. "I bought you some clothing yesterday. Hopefully, you can stay in them this time..." he said with half a smirk on his face.

"Wouldn't you rather I didn't?" I asked playfully. _**Where in the HELL did that come from?**_He froze, and he raised his eyebrow. "I'm sorry." I apologized as I became more and more embarrassed. "I shouldn't have..." My sentence was left hanging in the air, though, as I felt his lips upon mine. My eyes grew wide in surprise, as I peered up into his face. His own eyes were closed. I smiled to myself, and leaned upward, deepening the kiss. I felt his arms come up behind my back, and embrace me. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him passionately. I unfurled my wings once more, and wrapped them around our bodies. Slowly, he broke the kiss, and gazed into my eyes. I withdrew my wings and whispered a simple question into the air. "Why?" He simply shook his head. "I don't know." was his reply.

--

He didn't know what had come over him. He had never felt this attracted to a woman before. It had seemed the right thing to do, under the circumstances. And he was glad that she had not pulled away.

"Here, get dressed." he said, handing her a pair of clothes. "I have something I want to show you." She quickly obeyed him, and they left the house together, Sephiroth carrying the sword and its sheath under his cloak. They walked on and on, and thankfully, Shakura did not ask to stop once, the entire trip. Finally, Sephiroth stopped walking once they reached a small forest clearing. After resting for a short time, he pulled the sword out of his cloak and offered it to her. Her eyes grew wide as she took the blade in her hands.

She gasped loudly as she pulled the sword free of its sheath. "It's beautiful..." she said in awe. "But, why did you buy it for me?"

"You needed a weapon, and I thought that one would suit you best." he said as she turned it around in her hands.

"Tiger Lily." she read aloud. "You had his name and mine engraved on him?" she asked, deciding that the sword was male. She peered into his green eyes. "But I can't use this. It's too beautiful... and besides, I don't even know how to wield a sword. What if I break him?" she looked worried.

"That's why I brought you here. I'm going to teach you to use it. By the end of the day, you'll be able to wield it with grace and accuracy. And as for it breaking... well, it's stronger than it looks. Like you..." he said hesitantly.

She smiled at him, and watched as he pulled an extremely long blade from his cloak. It had to be at least six and a half feet in length and it was extremely thin. "Holy shit..." she murmured.

"This one's name is Masamune." he said in response to the look on her face. "Don't worry about it's size; I'll go easy on you." he said, smirking a little at the double meaning.

She grinned in response, and told him not to go easy on her. "I'm tougher than I look, remember?" she said, quoting him.

"Well, we'll see about that." he stated, lifting the katana. He nodded, and she rushed him, almost catching him off guard.

"Now, that wasn't very smart." she said. He swung the blade at her, but she dodged easily, and he suddenly felt the tip of her blade against his throat. She lowered the blade and gave him a look. "Is that all you've got?" She lowered her self into a defensive position and easily caught his blade on hers.

She was definitely a lot stronger than she looked. It seemed as though she didn't even try or notice her own strength. Deciding to turn up the volume a little, he swung furiously, his blade gleaming silver in the dim sunlight. She blocked and parried most of his moves. "Come ON!" she cried. "This is too easy!" Becoming a bit frustrated that his female opponent was getting the best of him, he fought as hard as he could, and they became locked in a furious dance.

After thirty minutes, she still did not seem tired in the least, but he felt the weariness seeping through him. _**How long is she going to keep this up?**_ His thoughts were broken, though, as he felt his blade make contact with something soft. He looked up in time to see her pull his blade from her shoulder and keep fighting. The injury did not even seem to slow her down. Finally, when it seemed as though he couldn't take any more, she stopped and raised her hand, signaling him to stop. He stopped himself just in time, his blade inches away from her chest. She finally seemed to be tired, he noticed. There was sweat dripping from her brow and she was slightly hunched over, panting from the exertion. She slid the blade into its sheath, and set in on the ground. Silently, she pointed at the stream that ran through the forest clearing, and he nodded.

--

_**Well, there's another chapter for you. This one tested my writing abilities in ways that it hasn't been tested before, and personally, I love the way this chapter came out. Please, though, PLEASE review. Reviews are like candy for a young writer.**_


	6. When the Rage Consumes

**_Disclaimer: I do not wn Final Fantasy VII or any ideas pertaining to the game or the movie. However, I do own Shakura and any other fictional characters that I may take into my head to create. Please do not steal, and please leave a review when you are finished reading. That is really all that I ask. Well, carry on! Oh, and in the first part of this chapter, there is a slightly adult scene, so if this offends you in any way, just skip it and read ahead._**

CHAPTER 6 CONTINUED- WHEN THE RAGE CONSUMES

She pointed toward the stream. Not really knowing what she wanted, he decided to follow her, and was surprised when she turned around and faced him. He knew that there was a question in his eyes as she placed her hands upon his leather-clad chest, and leaned upward, her lips on his. His surprise must have shown in his eyes, because she backed away after the kiss and looked up into his face.

In return, he bent back down and gathered her in his strong embrace, his mouth on her own. He used his tongue to gently pry apart her lips, and explore her mouth. She gave a moan at feeling his tongue in her mouth, and her legs nearly buckled. She put her hands on the fastenings of his cloak, and began trying to take it off. Once it was off, she dropped it on the ground. He then picked her up, bridal style, and walked to the middle of the stream.

She gasped as the cold water made contact with her flesh. He set her down and began lovingly undressing her, all the while dragging his fingers through her hair and kissing her wherever bare flesh made its appearance. Once she was free of her clothes, she paid attention to his, carefully helping him out of his pants. Holding up her hand as if to signal him to stop, she gathered the clothing and rinsed the sweat and dirt out of them, before hanging them on the branch of a tree to dry. She then returned to the stream, and they helped each other clean the sweat that each had acquired from the spar, from their bodies. Once clean, he picked her up once more, and carried her back to the bank of the stream.

He carefully laid her on the ground and rested his long body on top of hers, all the while, his mouth latched on to hers, their long hair becoming a tangled red and silver waterfall upon the ground. Suddenly, he gave a gentle thrust, and she broke their kiss, yelping in pain. Alarmed, he cradled her head in his arms.

"I'm sorry!" he said in a worried tone. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry...!" he looked at her face and noticed that droplets of water threatened to fall from her eyes. Casting his gaze downward, he watched a thin trickle of blood trail down her thigh. "Was this your first time?" he asked her. She nodded her head in response, as she panted. "If you want me to, I'll stop." he told her, but she shook her head at that.

"No, keep going. It's wonderful..." she panted. And so the magic was spun. He started slowly at first, but began to move faster when she became accustomed to the new feeling. Finally, after some time, they each screamed the other's name as the climax built up and was finally released. He fell in a sweaty heap on her as both of them panted. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, then shifted his body so that she lay mostly on top of him, on her stomach. He wrapped her arms around her, and as exhaustion finally set in, he felt his eyes close as he fell asleep.

--

Moonlight was just beginning to filter through the dense foliage when Sephiroth awoke. He felt different, somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He looked about the clearing, as if really seeing it for the first time. The lillies by the water. The colors of the leaves. It was all beautiful to him, and it was a feeling that he had never experienced before.

He gave a sharp intake of breath as he looked down upon himself. Shakura was lying beside him in the pine needles, her head upon his chest in a content sleep. Smiling to himself, he ran his fingers through her soft red hair and she murmured a little in her sleep. Sighing, he decided it was time to wake her, as the fiends were stronger at night. He bent down and placed his lips upon hers, whispering her name. She stirred, and then her eyes flashed open. Sephiroth was glad to see that her eyes still held that soft green gaze; at least they weren't reduced to slits. She opened her mouth as if in question, but he lay his fingers across her mouth, silencing her.

"We must leave. They'll be here soon." he explained as he helped her up. He snatched their now-dry clothes out of the tree branch, and helped her into them. For the first time since yesterday, he noticed the cut that Masamune had inflicted upon her shoulder, and, after appologizing he pressed his mastered Cure materia to her shoulder. She in turn helped him into his. They gathered up the rest of their belongings, and, walking side by side, they left.

--

_**I don't know what came over him. Last night was magical, simply put, but it seems as though there is something he is not telling me. Some deep, dark secret that causes him no end of grief. However much that I hate to hurt him, I must find out the truth, and soon, before the secret consumes us all.**_

I kept right by his side. The tall, silver-haired man walked quickly, and I knew that it wasn't because of me. If we didn't leave soon, the fiends would claim us. **_Although..._** I thought, **_I don't think that they would stand much of a chance against us; we're pretty damn strong. I never knew that I had it in me!_**Lost in thought, I didn't even notice when Sephiroth stopped walking, and I collided with his back, almost knocking both of us over. He held up a hand for me to be quiet, and unsheathed Masamune. I did the same with Tiger Lily. Our blades gleamed silver and red in the moonlight, manifestations of our own personalities. I tried to shift my weight, to ease the tension coursing through my body. Whatever it was, it sounded big, and it was coming for us, quickly. I watched as Sephiroth moved into a defensive posture, and I followed suit, just as the largest dragon I had ever seen swung its mighty talons at me. I ducked, and swung Tiger Lily. The blade sunk deep into the creatures shoulder, but before I could pull it back out, the dragon reared up in the air, roaring wildly into the night. I covered my ears and moved out of the way. By my side, Sephiroth was moving nearly faster than I could see, Masamune flashing in a bloody mist. I heard my name being called, and turned to find that he had recovered Tiger Lily. He through it to me, and I snatched it easily out of the air and brought it down with a growing hatred, on the armored body before me.

Something was wrong. I could feel it again; that same rage coursing through every part of my body. The hatred was so strong and I felt myself loosing control once more. The voice in my head whispered faster and faster, but still I tried to concentrate on the fiend before me. I was out of control, and I was not the only one who had noticed it. Sephiroth had stopped fighting. I tried to turn my head to look at him, but my whole body had gone numb. I didn't notice that the creature before me had long since died, that I was fighting a lifeless corpse, until I felt a firm, cold hand grab my own. I couldn't take it any more. The creature within me urged me to kill the man before me; to take my blade and shove it through his chest. I watched, helpless, as my arms began to move upward, Tiger Lily clutched in my blood-stained hands. Sephiroth's eyes grew wide as I struggled to put the sword down, but the creature within forced my arms upward, till the blade was inches away from his chest. The rage and the pain combined was almost unbearable.

--

Shakura seemed to be fighting with herself. No, that wasn't right. She was fighting with Jenova. Jenova wanted me dead, because I failed her last time. Now she's going to use Shakura to summon Meteor and do as I almost did, so long ago. I must stop her! he thought to himself. He caught the tip of the crimson blade, just as she was about to plunge it through his body. He pushed away, and brought Masamune up just in time to block her sword slash.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled. "Get a grip! Force the voice out of your head. You can't let it take control!" She didn't seem to be able to hear him, and continued her furious attack. She seemed to fighting hard, though, and after a time, she lowered her blade, and was still. Sephiroth, however, stood his ground, and waited for whatever was going to come. Suddenly, she looked at him, stared deep into his eyes. He could see the mental struggle; her eyes changing from dark green orbs to pale green slits and back again.

"Help... me." she pleaded. "Please... help..." Her sentence was cut off, though, as her wings burst from her shoulder-blades, and she took to the sky. Worried at what she might do, he unfurled his single black wing, and took off after her. She wasn't far ahead of him, and he caught up easily, but he tried to keep out of sight, to find out where she was going. He followed her for what seemed like hours, and finally, her small feet touched ground... outside the Nibelheim Mako Reactor.

--  
Well, I finally managed to get another chapter out there for you all to read. I haven't been able to work on it much in the past couple of days, because I'm staying for four days at my brother's house. And, I must warn you, school will be starting up pretty soon where I'm from, so I won't be able to work on this fanfic much, but hang in there! I will finish it, I promise! But please review. I'd appreciate it very much!


	7. Deja Vu

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any ideas associated with the game or the movie. However, I do own the characters that I have come up with, so please do not steal. I don't mind if you use the names of the people I have created, but please don't use their descriptions. Thank you. Now, you have a story to read._**

CHAPTER 7- DEJA VU

When he saw her feet touch down outside the Nibelheim Mako Reactor, a shiver of fear and dread traveled up his spine. This scene seemed all too familiar to him. He knew what was going to happen next. He followed her, taking care to stay out of sight, as she boldly walked into the Mako Reactor. She made her way precariously along the catwalk, and was suddenly faced with a large room. There were tanks lining the walls, and each had a small viewing window. At the top of the long flight of stairs was a door, and a single word was engraved above it. He watched her hesitate, as she silently mouthed the word, then made her way up the flight of stairs, where it had all begun so long ago. She reached the door, and tried to open it, but rust had sealed it shut. She drew Tiger Lily from its wine-red sheath and slashed the door open. **_Her strength seems to grow with each passing moment._**He thought to himself. She entered the small chamber, with Sephiroth right on her heels, hiding in the shadows. As she drew closer to the glass tank, he could barely hear a voice speaking to the darkness, thanks to his Mako-enhanced hearing.

**"That's right. Come closer, my daughter; come closer and free me from this hell that I've been imprisoned in. Punish the Planet and everybody on it, for all they've done. You can do it. Just come closer."**Jenova hissed, as Shakura walked as if in a trance toward the tank. She placed her hands upon the glass, and whispered to the creature.

"I'm here now. No one will ever harm you again. I promise. Together, you and I will take back the planet, for it is ours, and ours alone. We shall succeed." Shakura whispered. Quite suddenly, she clutched her head in pain, and hunched over. "No. NO! Stop! Leave me alone!" she screamed, trying to regain control of her mind. Just as suddenly as it had begun, she straightened back up and placed her hands upon the glass once more. "Just tell me how, and I'll do it. Simply tell me what it is you wish, and I... " she was cut off, though, as a young, male voice penetrated the stagnant air.

"You! Back away from that tank!" she turned around to see a young man with spiky blonde hair standing in the doorway, wielding a huge sword. There was fear in his shining blue eyes, but he seemed determined to try and hide it. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

--

The creature inside of me was furious. It struggled to make me fulfill its wishes, but I struggled back. I couldn't help it, though, as I heard the creature use my mouth to speak.

**"Well, we meet again, Cloud. If you think you're going to stop me this time, I believe you're horribly mistaken. I simply cannot be defeated, and one day, I will succeed." **the creature stated.

Cloud's eyes grew wide, but then narrowed in anger a second later. "Who are you?" he asked angrily.

**"Who am I? I am your worst nightmare. Long ago, I took away everything you cherished; your mother, your home, your dreams, your very sanity. And I will do it once more, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Your hate alone was not enough to stop me last time, or the time before, and it will never be enough to keep me away. This pathetic Planet is destined to die, and I will be the shining light that finally wipes all life from it. You are quite helpless. And as for your question, I think you know who I am. I am the entity called Jenova."** Jenova finished.

Cloud's eyes narrowed in hatred as he listened to the creature speak. I could see the struggle that he fought, as he tried to decide whether or not to strike. After all, the creature was using me to help it; the creature called Jenova. Suddenly, Jenova relinquished control of my mind to me, and I fell upon my knees on the dusty floor. Tiger Lily fell from my cold fingers, and I clutched my head as a wave of dizziness and pain swept through my mind.

I looked up at the blonde-haired man, whose name was apparently Cloud. His grip on his huge sword tightened, and he charged at me. I lifted my hand to try to stop him, but I could tell that it was too late. Just when it seemed that the blade was going to sever my arm, a long, thin blade was swept up between Cloud's own and me. **_So, Sephiroth followed me. I'll have to properly thank him later, when all of this is over._** I thought to myself, feeling quite delirious. Another wave of pain and confusion hit me hard, and soon, I was nearly lying across their crossed blades.

--

As he stepped out of the darkness, and drew Masamune, he could tell that his old enemy had not noticed him yet. But as his long blade made contact with Cloud's, recognition passed over the younger man's face; frightened recognition. Mako-blue eyes peered into Sephiroth's own green eyes, questions forming in the glowing blue orbs.

"Sephiroth?! What are you doing here? You should be dead! What's going on?!", Cloud exclaimed. "You're just a memory, and you keep coming back... Why can't you just go away?" he whispered.

Sephiroth lifted his blade and slid it back into its sheath. Confusion was painted clearly on the other man's face. The older man stepped back slowly, and half-raised his arms in the air, palms upward.

"Didn't I tell you that I would never be a memory?", Sephiroth asked. "Anyway, I'm not your problem any more. Jenova is using this girl, Shakura, to fulfil her wishes. But it's not as simple as it sounds. You can't just kill this girl, because the spirit of Jenova will keep coming back. We must get rid of Jenova, before it is too late." Sephiroth tried to explain. His words fell on deaf ears, though, as Cloud raised his Buster Sword and charged.

"You always were a bad liar!" Cloud yelled as he swung the sword upward in an arch. Sephiroth stood still, and waited to see what would happen. He gasped in pain as the enormous blade made contact with his shoulder. Blood dripped down his leather cloak, staining the black material. He placed his hands on the blade, and tried to pull it out, but it had become lodged in the wall behind him. Usually, he could ignore pain, but this... _this_was unbearable. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes as he peered into Cloud's Mako enhanced ones. Shock had fallen over the younger man's face as he saw that he had wounded the one-winged angel. "Cloud..." Sephiroth began, pain lacing through his body. "Cloud... look into... my eyes. See... see that I am... telling the truth. Cloud... I've... I've changed. Understand? Please?" The pain was becoming worse with each breath he took. Suddenly, he felt the blade being pulled from his body, and he hit the floor hard, blood streaking down the crack in the wall behind him.

--

He didn't know why he had not killed Sephiroth. He had released him, after everything the older man had done to him. But, looking into his eyes, he realized that Sephiroth had changed. There was something different about him. He had practically begged him to let him go, and to understand him. The light of insanity that had once shone in his eyes was gone. He was definetly a changed man.

Slowly, Cloud bent down and offered his enemy his Mastered Restore materia. Sephiroth allowed himself to be healed, then spoke quickly. "Go to her. Help her to rid herself of the demon within her. Destroy Jenova. Please, help Shakura..." the older man managed to say before his head slumped down on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sephiroth. I'll help her." just as the words came from his mouth, he felt a sharp pain, and looked down to see a bright red blade protruding from his arm. He whirled around, yanking the sword out of himself as he went, and raised his enormous sword into a ready position. The girl who stood before him looked to be no older than sixteen, but under the influence of Jenova, he had no idea of her capabilities. She swung her sword at him once more, and he dodged it. He fled up the stairs to the large glass tank in the center of the room. Swinging his sword, he brought it down on the glass, but the blade never made it. Soon, he was enveloped in a fight for his life. The girl was fast, and extremely strong; almost stronger than Sephiroth had ever been. She never seemed to tire, even when Cloud's own arms began to become tired. Finally, after an hour of non-stop fighting, she suddenly dropped to her knees and curled up in a ball on the floor. He pulled his sword back just in time, to avoid decapitating her. He dropped down on the floor beside her, and gripped her by the shoulders. As he looked into her eyes, he noticed that they had changed back to their normal dark green color, the pupils no longer slits. She seemed so frightened. She shook in his hands.

"Please...! Please help me!" she sobbed in his arms. I can't control myself much longer. Please, you must..." her sentence was cut short, however, as her eyes flashed. She leapt into the air, two bright white wings gleaming in the near darkness. As she wrapped her wings around herself, he could feel the power radiating throughout the room. Quickly, he picked up his sword, and ran back down the stairs, slinging Sephiroth over his shoulder as he went. The general was light, even though he was over six feet tall. As Cloud ran, he could feel the building shaking apart around him as he went. Just as he reached the doorway, the force of the explosion flung both him and Sephiroth into the dirt.

--

I knew what I had to do. I knew that the end had come. The time had come to rid myself of Jenova forever. But my heroism would come with a price; I would have to sacrifice my own life for this world. That's when I realized it; I wasn't from this world. The place I had came from was far less complex, less dangerous. But I had forsaken that world, and this was my punishment. My punishment for ending my own life. I thought about Dustta. I had been too wrapped up in my own self pity to think about the little sister I had left behind. The sweet girl that had looked up to me. The doctors at the hospital probably could have helped me, but I was too selfish. I had only wanted to end my pain; I had not considered the pain of those around me. Well, now I had a new world to save, and I wasn't going to be selfish this time. I was going to give my life for these people... for all these people, who had lived in fear for so long. I had died once, how hard could it be?

As I wrapped my wings about myself, I watched Cloud flee the room. Jenova tried to invade my thoughts once more, but I fought against her with everything I had. I was feeling so incredibly powerful; I could actually see it in the room. At the last moment, when I felt as if I were going to explode, my wings burst apart, and in a swirl of color and heat, I knew no more.

--

**_I realize that it has been a while since I've written, but I had the sudden urge to keep going today, so here it is! Please leave me a review; I would appreciate it so much! Please let me know how my writing is!_**


	8. Author's Note

**_Author's Note_**

**_Okay, so I know that I shouldn't post this as it's own chapter in my story, but I didn't know where else I should post this. _**

**_All that I really want to say, is that I have no idea how to continue my story. I've thought about it, and I can't come up with anything. My requestis simple: read my fanfiction, and give me any ideas you may have for completing this story, or at least continuing on with it. In return, I will give you credit in my story for helping me out. Please, I'm nearly desperate. And, anyone reading this, please leave me reviews and constructive critiscm, because that will also help me continue my story. Thank you in advance;your help is very much appreciated._**

Madcat Masamune Fair


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